By now you've learned the basics of ColdFusion, script vs. tag syntax, scopes, how to deal with data, and even some code-reuse techniques. You're now able to write something useful, so it's time we introduce you to the Request Lifecycle.

You see, when someone requests a ColdFusion page, CF doesn't just start executing your code. There are several events that first take place, which you can be waiting for, and to which you can react. This is not strictly necessary, but you'll find that any complex application will eventually want to make use of some or all of these features, so it's best that you know about them. In order to react to these events, you need to have an Application.cfc file. ColdFusion has designated Application.cfc as a special component that it will automatically look for, and in which we can put our event listeners for request lifecycle events.